The Academy: Detective Stories - Part II

Chapter 18. Two Shots

Thanks to the autumn ball, the nightclub wasn't very busy. The visitors were mostly people who came here with their friends or lovers for the afterparty. Among plenty of free seats, Jackie chose table number five. This was where the drug dealer case got a new perspective. Well, here it was supposed to end.

The waitress, a woman in her thirties with sad black eyes, approached Jackie with a tray. As she was putting her order on the table, the scars on her wrists were revealed. Jackie's heart sank. She bet the waitress was one more victim of the man's cruelty, but tonight, she didn't want to think about it.

The woman gave her a polite smile. "Bon appétit."

"Merci." Jackie placed two bronze coins on the table. "Please, keep the change."

She put the coins in her apron. "You have a kind heart. May I bring you our special cocktail for free?"

"No, I have just enough."

She nodded. "Sure. Let me know if you need anything."

"Of course."

Her modest order was in front of her – a small plate of tree nuts and two shots of whiskey. The first shot of whiskey symbolized her personal life, and the second one was her career. Until this moment, she had only these two things she cared about, and she managed to screw up both. Jackie took one shot and raised it.

"For my broken heart." She drank it, and the hot liquid burned her stomach. She took several short breaths to cool down her tongue. The hunger that quietly slept before now awoke. She grabbed the nuts and ate them all, enjoying every bit of it. When Jackie emptied the plate, her head stopped spinning.

The second shot gleamed in the light of a single candle. Once Trevor told her that when life seemed to be over, it actually was about to begin. Only if she could tell him he was wrong! Jackie moved the shot closer, collecting her guts together to drink it. And then, the capricious Lady Luck finally decided to turn her face to her.

Two men sat at the next table, just behind her back, and the sound of their voices reached her ears. One of them was the owner of this club, and the second one... was Trevor.

"You are late," the owner said. "I hope everything is alright."

"It is," Trevor replied. "Just had to take care of the garbage."

Jackie scoffed. Well, it wasn't the worst thing she had heard about herself during her short experience as a cadet.

The waitress brought their order without asking questions. Using this moment, Jackie touched the memory crystal on her neck. She brought it closer to her lips and whispered, "Activate."

"So," the owner said as the waitress left. "What urgency made you come here personally?"

"Not much to worry about, Joe. Just decided to speed up our deal."

"Speed up?" Joe chuckled. "After you told us to slow down?! No, it doesn't work this way."

Trevor landed his glass on a table, and it echoed with a loud clunk. Jackie flinched.

"Listen carefully, Joe. I came here myself because I have some rats in my barn. They don't really have anything, but time plays against us. The sooner we close the deal, the better."

"Ok, ok. I've got it."

Trevor fidgeted on his sofa, and it squeaked under his weight. "The last fight will be tomorrow."

Joe breathed heavily. "Hold on. What about the guests? We need time to send invitations. Then we need to prepare everything and find a place. Plus, no one would come on Sunday."

"I'll provide a reliable place. No one would ever check there."

"Got it. But I need two days," Joe said.

Trevor paused. Jackie was motionless. In hanging silence, her heartbeat was so loud that she worried if Trevor could hear it too.

"Fine. Monday then," Trevor replied.

The men stood up. Jackie quickly switched the crystal off and held her breath. It was probably all the limit of her luck that night because the waitress approached her and started collecting the empty dishes.

"Hey, miss!" Trevor asked, and the waitress turned to him, exposing her. Damn. Jackie literally had two seconds before he would notice her. Their talk with Laura awoke from the depth of her memory. It was the day when they held a Gift exchange ritual, trying to find a way to tame Elsa's Gift. As they figured, sometimes the best thing to do was to rely on instincts. Like now, when she had no time to waste.

Everything Jackie knew before and everything she learned now assembled in this particular moment when she was in this club. She took a short breath and let her instincts do the job. Her fingers detached the crystal from the chain, and she dropped it into the shot of whiskey. The brown liquid sparkled, keeping the terrifying truth that could cost her a life. Then, she did the most beautiful and the most disgusting thing she had never thought she was capable of doing. Jackie raised the shot and drank it.

She didn't choke. The whiskey made the crystal slide down to her stomach, and it comfortably settled. Then, a heavy hand touched her shoulder, and she turned to face Trevor.

"Jackie?!" His eyes flashed.

"Long time no see," she said, smiling nonchalantly.

His eyes kept piercing her. His ragged breath with a slight alcohol odor reached her face. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Jackie stood up and landed the empty shot on a table. The glass cracked, but she didn't bother to check it. "I made up my mind," she said. "I want to work for you."

Trevor laughed. "Do you know what's the funniest thing? Even when people know about my Gift, they keep lying to my face."

He raised his hand and clicked his fingers. Jackie helplessly looked around, but the room was almost empty, and no one paid attention to them. Joe made a silver energy ball in his hand. A Paralyzing spell. Before Jackie could move, the ball reached her chest, and she stood motionless.

"You shouldn't have come here," Trevor said. He closed her eyelids with his fingers, and Jackie fell into the darkness. 

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